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“I’m Not Called”…the ultimate Christian cop-out?

“That’s great for you, but I’m just not called…” “I just don’t feel led to do that.” “Some people just aren’t called to…”

Since my wife and I made the decisions to homeschool and to adopt we have heard these phrases more times than we can count. People saying how great it is to adopt, or to stay home with our kids, but that they just couldn’t do it, they just aren’t “called”.

That phrase, “I’m not called.”, has become the ultimate excuse for any Christian who does not want to do something! I realize that it is sometimes legitimate, that not everyone is called to do everything. God does call specific people to do specific things; teaching, healing, evangelizing, etc. However, there are also some things that He calls all Christians to do.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

These are two of the classic example of what Jesus is calling all Christians to do. Yet when you ask someone what they are doing to spread the Word or to help orphans and widows you will undoubtedly hear, “I’m not called to missions.” or “I just don’t feel led to adopt.” To these people I say, “Great! But what are you doing to spread the Word and to help the orphans and widows?”

Spreading the Word of God does not mean that you have to give up everything you have and live in the jungle, or travel around the world preaching. It means being bold in your workplace and when talking to your neighbors. It means supporting missionaries and outreach programs. It means talking to your friends about Jesus’ love for them, and not just your mutual love of football.

In the same vein, looking after orphans does not mean that everyone is in the position to adopt 10 kids. But anyone can sponsor a child in need. Anyone can pray for the more than 143 million orphans in the world (and this may be an old number). Sometimes the only thing keeping a child from having a family is the cost of the adoption. If every Christian pitched in some money to help cover these expenses how many more children would have a home?

My point is not to try and say that everyone is called to everything that God says is good, or to imply that I am doing everything right (far from it!). My point is that before you take the easy way out of something by saying “I’m just not called.”, stop and think about it. Have you actually prayed about that specifically to see if you are called? Have you actually listened to what God is calling you to do? Sometimes we aren’t “called” because to admit that would be to admit that we aren’t doing what we know God is asking us to do. And sometimes God asks us to do some pretty hard things.

Just because something is hard, uncomfortable, expensive, or intimidating doesn’t mean that God isn’t equipping and calling you to do just that.